Kill in Laundry

• If you have been bitten by bedbugs or have seen adult bugs, molted nymph skins and the little black spots of bedbug excrement in your bedclothes, garments, mattresses and box springs, it's time to bring on the heat. First, strip the bed of sheets, pillowcases, bed pads and blankets and add in any garments that might have been infested. Put them in plastic bags to prevent escape of any bugs and take them to your laundry. Empty the bag into your washer and set it on hot-water wash (at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit). If your washing machine allows a hot-water rinse, use the hot rinse as well. Then tumble dry on high heat for 20 minutes. This process will kill the adult bedbugs and their eggs.
  
  

Death by Dryer

• If you have infested garments that can only be dry cleaned, put them in a plastic bag and take to a dry cleaner. Commercial dry-cleaning processes kill bedbugs and their eggs. Alternatively, you can use a household clothes dryer to kill bedbugs in nonwashable fabrics. Be sure your garments are dry. Set your dryer on medium heat, less than 160 degrees Fahrenheit, put the garments in the dryer and run it for 20 minutes.
  
  

Kill With Car

• In summer, you also can use your car and the hot sun to kill bedbugs. The car method is good for infested garments you don't want to put in a washer or a dryer. Park your car in the hot sun. Put your items loosely in a plastic bag, close the bag and place in the car with the windows closed. Put a thermometer in the car to monitor temperature, and make sure the temperature exceeds 120 degrees for several hours.
  
  

Steam to Death

• Bedbugs in mattresses, box springs and garment seams can be killed by hot steam. Steam treatments, though, should be done by professionals because effective use of steam machines requires training, practice and care. In general, the nozzle of the steam generating machine should be held about an inch from the item being treated and moved along at a moderate pace. If the nozzle is too far away or moved too fast, the steam may not be hot enough for a complete kill. If the nozzle is too close or moved too slowly, you may be injecting excess moisture into the material causing future problems such as mold growth.